Lately, I have been feeling pretty burnt out on PlayStation’s line-up of first-party games. They have largely provided experiences that were either frustratingly bad or a fun time hindered by several key caveats. 2025’s Ghost of Yōtei fit neatly into the latter. While the gameplay was fun, the lackluster narrative made it hard to return to, even after several key post-launch updates. So, the announcement of a Complete Edition similar to Ghost of Tsushima‘s Director’s Cut made me both interested and cautious.
Much like Director’s Cut, the Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition adds several new enhancements that breathe new life into the base game. Similarly to its predecessor, it features a brand new story expansion known as “Echoes of Sekigahara.” It also adds the new roguelike “Most Wanted” mode, alongside some smaller quality-of-life additions. So, how does it fare? Is it worth the $15 upgrade for returning players, and the $70 purchase for new owners? To my surprise, the Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition turned out to be better than I could have imagined, as both the Most Wanted and Echoes of Sekigahara editions were consistently enjoyable from beginning to end.
Most Wanted
There are two major additions to Ghost of Yōtei added via the Complete Edition: the new Most Wanted mode and the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion. The former is a roguelike mode, where you can play as one of four characters, three of which are unlocked as you progress, as you fight through waves of enemies leading up to a boss battle against one of the Yōtei Six. Initially, this was the part of the Complete Edition that excited me the least. It certainly didn’t help when I realized that this is now the second PlayStation game to add a roguelike mode via a newly released edition. Thankfully, the Most Wanted mode has far more depth to it.
At a glance, the Most Wanted mode has all the makings of a classic roguelike. You start a level by picking one of the four characters and choosing one upgrade to take with you. Each level has encounters with enemies that scale with difficulty as you progress. Every time you progress, you choose a new upgrade, and defeating a mini-boss unlocks the choice of new weapons. At the end, you use all of your upgrades to fight a particularly hard boss that returns from the base game’s story. If you win, you get a large amount of the game’s currency, and if you lose, you still retain the currency you earned up until that point. Both can be used to purchase permanent upgrades and perks that may help you with further runs.
Yet, something about Most Wanted felt far more satisfying compared to games that arbitrarily add in a roguelike mode. Part of that is due to the progression: instead of feeling like a game such as Hades, the way levels flow here is similar to an arcade ladder that you would find in the average fighting game. When you beat a wave of enemies, you do not choose between one of several branching paths. Instead, you choose the perk you want to equip, and then transition seamlessly into the next encounter. Each run is short and sweet, and once I died, I could immediately jump back into the action with little delay.
Where Most Wanted particularly shines is in how it further highlights the satisfying combat of Ghost of Yōtei. Countering sword slashes and maneuvering around arrow-fire feels incredible here, especially when you get to take advantage of the unlockable perks. While some levels can feel closer to the average fight in the base game, these perks can add a touch of much-needed chaos to the overall experience. For example, you can unlock a perk that turns any enemies you throw an empty sake jar at into a bear, which completely throws any tension in an encounter out the window.
Then, of course, there are four playable characters. When you start the mode for the first time, you only have access to Atsu. As you purchase more permanent upgrades, you get access to Oyuki, a key character from the base game, then Nagato, a new key figure in the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion. The final playable character is the most interesting of all: Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima, complete with his different stance capabilities from his debut appearance.
Each character is fun to use, and none of them feel inherently underpowered. Your choice of characters will depend entirely on which of their unique abilities clicks with your playstyle. Do you want to go for a style built around ranged combat? Then Nagato is the character for you, due to his ability to fire an explosive arrow for his ultimate ability. Maybe you prefer an all-rounded fighting style— if so, Jin Sakai is the best pick, as you don’t have to worry about unlocking different weapons to specifically counter enemies. Instead, his pre-equipped stances give you the right tool for any situation.
Most Wanted is a great addition to Ghost of Yōtei. It made me appreciate the base game’s combat mechanics all the more, and forced me to take advantage of each aspect of the gameplay design so that I could eventually overcome each challenge the mode offered. Best of all, there are plenty of incentives to replay the mode again and again. Once you beat the initial six bosses, you can replay them again with increased difficulty.
Subsequent playthroughs award you with boss tokens, which you can then use to unlock new cosmetics. While most are simple recolors, there are several that serve as nods to major PlayStation franchises like Astro Bot or Journey, among others. These can then be used in the base game. Overall, the mode served as both a reminder of the gameplay’s quality, as well as a much-needed refresher before I leapt into the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion. So, how does the expansion hold up compared to the new mode? Much like how Most Wanted rejuvenates the gameplay of Ghost of Yōtei, Echoes of Sekigahara does the same for its story.
Echoes of Sekigahara
When I first played Ghost of Yōtei, I was really frustrated with how it resolved its core revenge plot. The trope of the protagonist slowly realizing that revenge is not worth it was an extremely predictable conclusion, which made it hard to appreciate the good writing and characters in the months following its launch. I was not sure whether Echoes of Sekigahara would reinforce the worst parts of the base game’s narrative, or retroactively make it better. Once again, my expectations were surpassed, as Echoes of Sekigahara added some surprising new layers to the overall narrative.
The expansion begins during the events of the main story, right as Atsu is still hunting down the last remnants of the Yōtei Six. As she’s exploring the world, she comes across a bounty poster for a figure from her past known as Nagato the Handsome. She endeavors to find Nagato and try to figure out what he’s scheming. All the while, the two must navigate their past sins, particularly from the Battle of Sekigahara, and decide if redemption is even possible considering what they have done.
From a gameplay perspective, Echoes of Sekigahara’s new additions are quite subtle. You get access to new abilities that you can unlock as you explore the world. Not only do you get the ability to fire at three different enemies with a bow and arrow simultaneously, but you can wield new heavy weapons to use against armored opponents. Most impressively, you can even unlock the ability to catch arrows and throw them right back at their senders. Enemies get new combat advantages of their own, however, as they can now throw bolas that stun you in combat. You also have new cosmetics to unlock, and an entirely new section of the map to explore.
On the one hand, I do wish Echoes of Sekigahara introduced a few more new features, such as a new weapon and skill tree. On the other hand, though, the introduction of the new abilities and temporary weapons to use in combat was more than enough to make the game feel fresh and exciting again. I was especially happy to see that the beloved Watanabe Mode has more tracks to enjoy during both exploration and combat. Still, while these subtle gameplay improvements are appreciated, they pale in comparison to just how good the expansion’s narrative is.
The story focuses primarily on the relationship between Nagato and Atsu. We get to see how their relationship frayed in the past, and how the two slowly repair it in the present. Their attempts to patch up old wounds are in direct conflict with the soldiers that once served the first member of the Yōtei Six, the Snake. As Nagato is grappling with his greed and ambition, Atsu must face the consequences of her quest for revenge.
It is an interesting arc, made all the better by the performances that brought both Atsu and Nagato to life. The journey that both characters go through also enriches the broader narrative of the base game. Ghost of Yōtei is about more than just “revenge being bad,” it is about the cost of obsession. While Atsu is driven by vengeance, Nagato is guided by his greed, even if it is in service of a noble cause. It also helps to make the parallels between the protagonists and antagonists feel more earned rather than forced.
That said, it is worth noting that the expansion itself is fairly short. You can beat the main quests in the course of an afternoon, and completing all the side quests takes only a few hours extra. While I did find this a tad disappointing at first, I did not mind it as much when considering the slew of other content offered in the Complete Edition, and just how well-put-together the Echoes of Sekigahara quests are. All things considered, the new additions featured in the Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition are more than worth the price of admission.
A Resurrected Ghost
Post-launch DLCs of this scale come with an inherent risk. When executed well, they can add important fixes to a game that sorely needs it, or rejuvenate a title that has not gotten much attention since its release. If done poorly, though, they can completely tank the reputation of a game, whether it initially launched in a good state or not. Considering my frustrations with Ghost of Yōtei and my grievances with PlayStation’s latest first-party games, I was fearful that the Complete Edition would be a complete waste of time. Instead, the multitude of new additions made me fall in love with Ghost of Yōtei all over again.
The Most Wanted is a fantastic roguelike mode that does not feel derivative of other entries in the genre. The use of multiple unique playable characters from the Ghost universe, as well as the challenging encounters and satisfying feeling of progression, had me continuously addicted. On the other hand, the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion is a great addition to the base game’s narrative, thanks to its new characters and arc. By the end, both modes gave me a better appreciation for the default Ghost of Yōtei experience.
While completing the expansion and Most Wanted mode may not take too long, replayability of the latter and the relatively low price point is more than enough to make the Complete Edition worth it. If you have been hoping to return to Ghost of Yōtei, or have been on the fence about it since it released in 2025, then the Complete Edition is the perfect reason to jump in and appreciate one of the high points of the PlayStation 5’s library.
Disclaimer: Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition was reviewed on a PlayStation 5.
